She shook her head. “There’s another reason. Something else you’re not telling me.”
The tips of his ears turned red again and he looked away.
“Come on, Noah. Tell me.” This would fester and ruin their friendship if they didn’t get it out in the open.
“You think I’m gay. And I’m not.”
Laughter bubbled up in her chest like air in a can of pop and burst out of her mouth when she opened it. His head whipped back and he stared at her, teeth clamped, clearly not appreciating the humor in the situation. Had he been in her head when she’d spotted him in the parking lot, he’d know exactly how she saw him. Her laughter died. Crap. Noah was a friend, not a potential sex partner.
She touched his arm, lightly, despite the urge to run her fingers along his granite muscles. “I don’t think you’re gay, and neither does anyone else at work.” In fact, all her friends thought Noah was a hottie and couldn’t understand why she’d never made a move on him. “But we’re friends, and I want to keep it that way.”
His shoulders relaxed as he expelled air from his chest. After a moment, he nodded. “Got it. We cool?”
The knot in her stomach slowly unwound. “Yeah. As long as it doesn’t happen again.”
“I promise. No more touching or kissing. If there is a replay, it’ll be because you initiated it.” He gave her a stern look. “So keep your paws off me, woman.”
She laughed, grateful for the return of the ease between them. They really did have a special friendship, one she cherished. And for the sake of their friendship, she would try to forget the kiss. But that might be harder to do than she’d like. For all his geekiness, Noah Jensen was one hell of a kisser.
Noah grabbed a couple towels from the linen closet and handed them to Cassie. Thank God he’s splurged and rented the jerseys and camo pants. There’d been a dozen teams at the arena today and each had used a different paint color. She looked spectacularly cute with a rainbow of paint in her hair and on her face, but… His chest tightened uncomfortably. She’d wanted an Un-Valentine’s Day, but had he gone too far with the paintball?
“Go on. Get in the shower. My apartment doesn’t need redecorating.” He gently prodded her paint-streaked-butt in the direction of the bathroom.
She took the towels and grinned. “You sure you don’t want a little splash of color? All I’d have to do is shake my head like a wet dog.”
Her amused laughter as she hurried into the bathroom made him relax. Clearly, she’d had a great time today, despite being ambushed by members of her own team.
Hearing the water in the shower turn on, he walked back to the kitchen and got busy with dinner preparations. At the GameHard cafeteria, he’d only ever seen her eat salads and deli sandwiches, but tonight they were having his favorite dinner—beer, pizza, and chips. He picked up the phone and, having no idea what kind of pizza she liked, ordered a meat lovers and a vegetarian. That should cover all the bases. Two bags of chips from the pantry, one barbeque, the other dill pickle, and some dip from the fridge completed the menu.
He opened the fridge and grabbed two cans of beer. Balancing the load in his arms, he strode into the living room and dumped everything on the coffee table. Now for the entertainment. They couldn’t watch TV, since there’d be nothing but chick flicks on. A movie might work, as long as it didn’t have any sex. He scanned his selection of DVDs. Yeah, that was a no-go. They could play a video game if he could find one that wasn’t too violent. He flipped through the pile of game boxes until he landed on Left 4 Dead. A zombie apocalypse—just the thing he needed. Sure there’d be blood and guts, but it wouldn’t be human. And zombies were far from cupids. Perfect.
Happy with his choice, he slipped it into the game console and cracked open a beer while he waited. Just as he was about to sit on the couch, he remembered the paint. There’d been so much of it on his back, it had soaked through the jersey. Not to mention his blue hair. He set the beer on the table and walked to his room, pulling off his dirty shirt as he went.
The door to the bathroom opened just as he passed in front of it. Cassie stepped out, and his heart stopped. Dead. Without even the slightest thump-thump. She looked like a wet dream, literally. Drops of water ran down her bare shoulders, the thin streams disappearing under the towel knotted between her flushed breasts. Breasts that heaved as she stared back at him. He forced himself to swallow, and his heart kicked back into action, speeding like a racecar.
When he dragged his gaze up to Cassie’s face, her wide eyes were focused on his chest. Was he that much of a mess? Concerned, he swiped his hand over his pecs. She made a small sound—a moan? a groan?—as her eyes followed his movements. “Cassie? Is something wrong?”
Her cheeks glowing pink, she slowly raised her head and licked her lips. Seeing the rosy tip of her tongue made the room spin. He smacked his hand against the wall for balance, hardening at the memory of her taste. Inhaling deeply, he turned away and beat feet into his room. Calm the fuck down, asshole. He’d made Cassie a promise and he meant to keep it.
Clothes. She needed something clean to change into. After grabbing a T-shirt and the smallest pair of sweats he owned, he brought them to her. “These should fit.” She eyed him up and down and raised a brow. He grinned. “Okay, maybe not. Roll them up. No one will see you besides me. I’ll throw all our stuff in the washing machine after my shower.”
She let go of her towel to take the proffered clothes. Fall, fall, fall. But the damn towel stayed put. Smiling, she walked into his room and closed the door.
Noah checked his watch. The pizza delivery guy had said thirty minutes, but in case he arrived early, Noah pulled forty dollars out of his wallet and set the cash on the coffee table. That done, he stepped into the bathroom for a much-needed shower. A much-needed cold shower.
Cassie finished dressing and laughed when she caught a glance of herself in the mirror atop Noah’s dresser. The man was a good eight inches taller and probably outweighed her by sixty pounds. She’d rolled up the waistband and the legs of the sweats as much as she could, but still she looked like a little girl playing dress-up. Whatever. This was Un-Valentine’s Day. She didn’t need to wear fancy clothes to prove she was good enough. With Noah, she could relax and be herself.
Passing the bathroom door, she heard water hitting the walls of the tiled shower. Heat surged in her veins as an image of Noah’s chest, water running over his smooth muscles and his flat stomach, popped into her mind. She stopped herself before her imagination filled in the rest of the picture. No, no! Her friendship with Noah was the best thing she had going right now. But God, he’d looked so amazing. So hot. The nerdy computer guy had become a dreamboat. When had that happened, and how was she going to get through the rest of the evening without jumping his bones? Well, for starters, she’d have to make sure he wore a damn shirt.
She dumped her laundry into the washing machine and went to wait for Noah in the living room. Seeing the spread on the coffee table, she smiled. He certainly was taking the Un-Valentine’s Day theme seriously. No champagne and shrimp for her tonight. She popped open a beer and sighed as the cold liquid slid down her throat. Delicious.
Today had been some of the most fun she’d had in a long time, and she couldn’t wait to see what else Noah had planned for them. The water turned off in the bathroom, then the door opened. She forced herself to look out the window instead of turning to catch another glimpse of Noah’s sexy body. Oh God. Had she really just thought that?
The apartment intercom buzzed, startling her. Was Noah expecting someone?
“Cassie? Can you get that for me? It’s probably the pizza guy. I left money on the coffee table.”
Her gaze landed on two twenty dollar bills lying next to the bags of chips. “No problem,” she said, getting up to press the intercom button. “Yes?”
“Pizza delivery for Noah Jensen.”
Bingo. She buzzed him in and went to collect the money.
Just then, the cordless phone on the end
table next to the couch rang. The caller ID read Mom. “Noah?” she called. When he didn’t answer, she shrugged and picked up the phone. He seemed very close to his mom and probably wouldn’t want to miss her call. “Hello?”
“Um… hello. Is this Cassie?”
She pulled the phone away and frowned at it before returning it to her ear. Noah’s mother knew about her? “Yes,” she said, hearing the tentativeness in her own voice.
“Noah’s told me so much about you, dear. Are you having a fun day?”
“The best. Your son is a great friend, Mrs. Jensen.”
“Yes, he’s a wonderful boy.” A heavy pause extended a few moments before she continued, “Is he around? I’d like to say a few words to him.”
“He just finished a shower. Can I have him call you back?”
“It’s pretty urgent, actually. Could you get him for me?”
Cassie let out a puff of air. She couldn’t refuse to let Mrs. Jensen speak to her son, now could she?
The doorbell rang. Shoot. The pizza guy was here. Jeez. Noah needed a freaking assistant. She covered the mouthpiece on the phone and shouted in the direction of the front door. “One second.” At the same time, she ran down the hall to bring Noah the phone.
Crossing the threshold to his room, she skidded to a stop. Noah stood rummaging in his dresser, his back to the door. His naked butt greeted her. Hard, round, and perfect. The view took her breath away. Her fingers itched to reach out, to touch and stroke his smooth flesh. It looked bitable.
She must have made a sound because he spun around, clutching a pair of boxers in hand. Her eyes perused the full frontal, slowly so as not to miss the slightest detail. He stirred to life beneath her stare, extending, swelling. Oh my. So beautifully proportioned.
He slapped the boxers over his crotch and turned sideways. “Cassie.” His tone was somewhere between annoyance and arousal.
Laughter rang out from the phone and the doorbell droned as though the pizza guy were leaning on it. “Your mother wants to talk to you, and the pizza guy’s here.” She threw the phone at him. He caught it in one hand—the hand that held the boxers. Grinning, she went to answer the door.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you, Mom?” she heard him say, and even from the hallway, she could hear Mrs. Jensen’s laughter. So Noah’s mother had a sense of humor? She’d have to thank her someday. Noah was indeed a wonderful man. One she’d love to explore further, if it wasn’t Un-Valentine’s Day, and if she could be certain that afterwards, they’d remain friends.
Noah pulled on his boxers and exhaled harshly as he sat on the edge of the bed. His mom meant well, but man, the mix of horror and fascination on Cassie’s face when he’d turned around and flashed her would be engraved in his gray matter for the rest of his life. “I suppose Cassie told you I was just getting out of the shower.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“And what? You thought it would be funny if she walked in on me getting dressed?”
“I didn’t know that would happen. I only hoped it would,” she said with a chuckle. “If she really hadn’t wanted to see you, she would have called out to you from the hallway. And…” She trailed off.
“And what?” he asked, irritation lacing the question.
“And if you hadn’t wanted her to see you, you would have shut the door, dear.”
Was she right? Had he subconsciously been willing this to happen? Had he wanted Cassie to see him naked, hoping the sight of him in the flesh would force her to see him as a man? If so, he was an idiot. As soon as he’d realized where she was looking, all pretense had disappeared and desire had shot through him, straight to his junk. Which had stood up and waved at her. Shit. At least he hadn’t touched her.
“What did you want, Mom?”
“Nothing really. I just wanted to see how things were going on your non-date.”
“Un-Valentine’s Day, and it’s going great.” At least it was up to now. Except for the kiss. Although for him, that had most definitely been the best part.
“What are you making her for dinner?”
“Beer, pizza, and chips and dip.”
“Son?”
He leaned his elbows on his knees and rubbed a temple with his free hand. He was in for it now. “Yeah?”
“Shouldn’t you have taken her to a nice restaurant? Maybe something in little Italy? Your father and I got engaged at Marvello’s. It was very romantic. ”
He groaned. How could he possibly explain any of this to his mother? “She doesn’t want romantic. That’s why it’s an Un-Valentine’s Day.”
“She sounded nice on the phone, but maybe she’s not the girl for you. Your Aunt May’s neighbor has a daughter about your age. I could have May invite all of us over to dinner next week.”
He shook his head. “I’m not interested in anyone else. Cassie’s had a bad experience and she’s a little gun-shy. That’s all.” God, he hoped that was all. She’d been on and off the whole day, but he’d seen enough and felt enough when they’d been kissing to know she was attracted to him too. He just needed to break past her barriers.
“I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“I know.” He didn’t want that either. “Okay, I’ve got to go. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
After pulling on a pair of jeans, he slipped on a clean shirt, and buttoned it while walking back to the living room. The pizza box sat on the coffee table, and Cassie stood by the far window, eyeing him cautiously. He quirked a brow as he did up the last button. “Everything okay?”
“Ah… yeah.” She gave a small smile and pointed to the table. “Pizza’s here.”
“I can see that. What’s going on? Are you upset about what happened?”
She dropped onto the couch, staring at his bare feet. “Not upset exactly.”
Noah suppressed a groan. His mother’s little joke might just have ruined everything. “Want to talk about it?” They really needed to clear the air. If he couldn’t have Cassie as a girlfriend, he at least wanted to have her as a friend.
Picking up her beer, she took a sip. “Let’s eat while we talk. I’m starving from all that running around.”
He joined her on the couch, careful to leave enough space between them that they wouldn’t accidentally touch. He was in enough trouble as it was. “Did you have a good time today?”
As he doled out slices of pizza, she opened the bag of dill pickle chips and took a handful. Her eagerness for the chips pleased him ridiculously. The girls he knew usually pretended they didn’t eat anything that wasn’t green or orange.
“Fantastic. It was the most fun I’ve had in years.”
“You weren’t even a little upset that we didn’t go antiquing on Adams Avenue?”
A puzzled look came over her pretty face. “Why would I have wanted that?”
“Too romantic?”
“Too boring. I like pretty things, but I don’t want to spend all day poking around in dusty shops. I do most of my shopping online these days.”
Some expert Joey turned out to be. What he knew about women wouldn’t fill a shot glass. “So go-karting and paintballing wasn’t too extreme for you?”
Shaking her head, she swallowed a chip. “It was perfect.”
“Un-romantic.”
She shot him another puzzled look.
When the silence dragged on, his stomach clenched. Whether in anticipation or dread, he wasn’t sure. “Cassie?”
Her pulse raced as her heart banged against her ribs. Almost on the verge of panic, Cassie tried to pull her thoughts together. What was she so afraid of? She stretched her back and breathed in deeply, filling her lungs to maximum capacity, and held her breath before letting the air out.
“Cassie?” Noah slid closer on the couch and put his arm around her back. “Hey, are you okay? You look like you’re going to pass out.”
“I’m… fine. Just a little hungry.”
Brushing the hair off her forehead, he looked at her, his expression serious. “Look, I know this i
s a rough day for you because of what happened last year. We don’t have to talk about anything. Let’s just play video games and eat.”
He had such beautiful chocolate eyes, the kind she could get lost in for hours. And his lips… she knew from personal experience how soft and tender they were, how delectable his mouth tasted. How strong and powerful his thighs were. How long and hard his… Okay. She needed to stop this. Noah was her friend. But was that all he was? Could he be more?
“I’m scared,” she said.
His arm tightened round her. “Of what? You’re safe here, with me.”
“You sure about that?”
He pulled back a little to look at her face and frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I think we both know something’s going on here.”
“I told you, Cassie. I won’t go anywhere you don’t want to go.”
“But you want this to go somewhere, right?” Oh God. What if she was wrong? The embarrassment might kill her. And losing Noah as a friend would be even worse.
For a few moments, he searched her gaze, his expression unreadable. Finally, he nodded and shot her a wry smile. “I can’t deny it. I want you.”
“So it’s like we talked about earlier? This is just about getting me in bed.”
He raked a hand through his damp hair and let out a tired sigh. “I thought I’d made myself clear. This has nothing to do with getting you in bed. I really like you.”
“You don’t want to get me in bed?”
His eyebrows flew up. “Of course I do!”
The fear coiling in the pit of her stomach began to unwind. “I’m a little confused,” she teased. “You say it’s not about getting me in bed, then you say you want to get me in bed. Which is it?”
“It’s about this leading to a bed when and if you say it does.”
“Ah, so you’re a submissive?”
“First you think I’m gay, now you think I’m a sub? I’ll have you know, I’m a badass dom.”
He scowled at her, but the glint in his eye gave him away. “Is that right?” she asked, a little breathless.
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